I’m aiming to write and post a little bit each day about the family history research I’m doing, and what I find, during a week staying​ in Edinburgh. But for personal privacy, the posting of these travels on AFamilyHistoryBlog will be delayed by a few days, and will not necessarily be in day by day order! Some of these posts may be given later tweets, with added photos, etc.

Hopetoun House

I spent much of a day in the archives at Hopetoun House, South Queensferry, near Edinburgh. I was looking into my WALKER ancestors, who were tenant farmers on the Hopetoun Estate through from the mid 18th to the end of the 19th century, and into the farms where they lived and worked.

Among other things, there are bits in the Walker family history, originally written by my Grandfather in the 1950’s, which I don’t know any original sources for. So I was hoping that I might find some of those in the Hopetoun archive records.

The archive room at Hopetoun House

I had previously been in contact by email with the volunteer archivists at Hopetoun, so they knew that I planned to visit. I arrived at Hopetoun House at 10:30am, as it was opening to public visitors. I went in to the lower ground floor reception, to the right of the main staircase up to the front door (where most public visitors go into the house). I was soon met by one of the archivists, Richard, who took me up through service stairs and corridors, to an archive research room on an upper floor.

Document bundles in the Hopetoun Archives

I spent several hours there, looking through a number of bundles of old documents; lease agreements (tacks), etc, and was permitted to photograph anything I saw that looked to be of interest. Each bundle has a reference number, and is catalogued in the National Register of Archives for Scotland (NRAS). All the papers in the Hopetoun Archives appear to begin with the catalogue reference “NRAS888/”. In the archive room I was able to search this catalogue, on a computer, to identify the catalogue entries that looked to be of most interest.

(Unfortunately on the internet the full catalogue does not appear to be available! When I search the NRAS Register, it only gives the “top level record” for the papers of the Hopetoun Estate; NRAS888. The individual records, which I was able to search for in the archive room at Hopetoun House, do not appear to be available to search for online!)

Among the papers I saw, there were estate copies of two or three of the same documents that I’ve already posted copies of onto AFamilyHistoryBlog from among the WALKER family papers that I have.

My STAR FINDS from among the papers that I saw at Hopetoun House were plans of Hiddlefaulds (which was demolished in the 1890’s) and of the farm buildings at Kilpunt – both plans dated 1841, along with notes which confirmed that the WALKER family became tenants at Hiddlefaulds in (or slightly before) 1745.

A printed document about the rental income from the estates of “Pumpberston, Illieston, and Kilpunt”, (associated with the sale of these estates at the time that Lord Hope acquired them, circa 1760), details that William WALKER was the tenant in Hiddlefaulds in 1745, but a David KER was the tenant in 1740. A handwritten footnote on this page says that “when Will Walker took Hiddlefaulds he was promised a Tack [a lease agreement] but never got it.“! So the original paperwork was never done! ☻

In total, I took over 170 photos of the documents I saw, that looked to be of interest to me in my family history. These came from the following NRAS catologue numbers (with partial descriptions);

Its worth noting that the NRAS catalogue descriptions tend to identify the titled estates (such as Kilpunt), but not individual farms (such as Hiddlefaulds).

Its going to take me some time to process all of this, and I know that if I ever get the time and opportunity to go back to the Hopetoun Archives, there is quite a lot more of interest to look at there.

From what I heard the archivist saying, I gather that they have had very few people, like me, visiting the Hopetoun archives to do family history research into the tenant farmers on the estate. But from what I’ve seen, the Hopetoun archives must be a great resource for anyone who is researching a family history with this kind of connection to the Hopetoun estate.

I’m aiming to write and post a little bit each day about the family history research I’m doing, and what I find, during a week staying​ in Edinburgh. But for personal privacy, the posting of these travels on AFamilyHistoryBlog will be delayed by a few days, and will not necessarily be in day by day order! Some of these posts may be given later tweets, with added photos, etc.

General Register House, from North Bridge, Edinburgh.

National Records of Scotland, General Register House, Edinburgh.

I spent a large part of the day in the National Records of Scotland, Historical Search Room at the General Register House. I arrived before their doors opened at 9am. When I got into​ the search room I was immediately handed 3 of the “Kirkcaldy Burgh Register of Deeds” books that I had requested when I registered​ on Friday.

So I began by looking in the oldest of ​these books, at a record involving “Issobel WYSE”, the wife of “James OLYPHANT”, and her sister, “Janet WYSE” (wife of John [S~~irkar]). The old writing is difficult to interpret, so I got permission to photograph the pages that I was interested in, so that I can work on them from the photos, more carefully, later. James OLIPHANT and Isobel WYSE are the first (oldest) couple that I have in my OLIPHANT / HUTCHISON family tree (my 8x great-grandparents). So this entry in the “Register of Deeds of the Burgh of Kirkcaldy”, adds the names of Isobel’s parents.

I then turned to the latest book of Deeds, containing several entries that I wanted to look at. First was the “Trust Disposition and Settlement by Henry OLYPHANT, in favour of George DOUGAL, and others”.

Next; the “Disposition and Deed of Settlement by Henry OLIPHANT, to His wife”; img; 9868 – 9873, followed immediately by the “Deed of Agreement among (Henry’s) widow & children, and Mutual Discharge”; img; 9867 – 9884 (9885).

There was a lot in all this! More than I can process in a day! So by 1pm, I had had enough of the Kirkcaldy Burgh records! The first book had already confirmed for me the names of Isobel WYSE’s parents (something I think I had a suggestion of from searching the IGI, but this is the first confirmed source!).

So then I turned to some pieces that I wanted to look at, about the BARRON family in West Lothian. I had ordered 2 off-site records to look at; the marriage contract of Janet BARRON and Henry HARDIE, in 1684, then a collection of papers from c.1708, apparently about a dispute between Janet BARRON and one of her sons; Henry HARDIE. I photographed these. There may well be evidence in there to connect them to Elizabeth BARRON (m. William WALKER!)! I then ordered some of the documents about the BARRONs of Preston, and it appears to confirm my suspicion that there is NO link between these two families, proving Hardy Bertram McCall to have been wrong about this.

By 2:30pm I had had enough, so wrapped up what I was doing, handed back the documents I had out, and left the Register House to find some lunch in the nearby Waverley Mall.

After lunch, between about 3 & 4pm I had a wander around the National Gallery, where I saw one painting by E.A.WALTON, among several other by the Glasgow Boys. I then went to the Edinburgh Central Library for about an hour, between 4 & 5pm to look at some OPR micro-films.

I’m aiming to write and post a little bit each day about the family history research I’m doing, and what I find, during a week staying​ in Edinburgh. But for personal privacy, the posting of these travels on AFamilyHistoryBlog will be delayed by a few days, and will not necessarily be in day by day order! Some of these posts may be given later tweets, with added photos, etc.

I began the day by going to obtain a readers ticket for the National Records of Scotland Historical Search Room. I arrived at the General Register House just before their doors opened at 9am. The registration process was quick and easy (as I had come fully prepared). So I was done and out again in just 20 minutes.

General Register House, from North Bridge, Edinburgh.

My plan is to return to the Historical Search Room later during my week in Edinburgh, to see some records I’ve identified from the National Records of Scotland catalogue, that look to be of interest to me. Some of these records are listed as being “off site” and need to be ordered in advance. So before leaving I made my request for those documents, so that they will be available to view on the day that I plan to go back there.

I then headed to a bus stop and caught a bus out to explore a bit of West Lothian. My first stop was Kirkliston where I had arranged to meet Joe Henderson, who was able to open the church building for me to see inside. I have visited the Kirkliston churchyard a couple of times before, but not previously seen inside the church. Joe appears to know a great deal about the history of Kirkliston church and the parish. He gave me a copy of “Kirkliston; A Parish History” by Donald Whyte, and I gave him a copy of the history I have about my WALKER family.

After a little while inside the church, we went out into the churchyard, where I went particularly to look at the WALKER family gravestones there, and to take some new photos of them. Unfortunately (as you will see from the photo – below) a bush has been allowed to grow up right in front of the oldest gravestone – that of “William WALKER, late tenant in Hiddlefold, who died on Jan.1st 1768, aged 73″. But I was able to pull the branches away enough to check the inscription, which is still readable.

3 Walker family gravestones in Kirkliston churchyard; the oldest (on left) of William Walker, d. 1/1/1768, aged 73; on right, William’s son and daughter-in-law, James Walker & Janet Flint, and centre, James & Janet’s grandson, also James, his wife, Margaret Johnston, and several of their children.

Joe was then able to give me a lift to Kilpunt. I had a good look around there, taking a number of photos, and wandered down to the nearby site of Hiddlefaulds, where the Walker family had farmed from about 1745. There is now just a pile of stones on the site of Hiddlefaulds (which I believe was demolished in the 1890’s), and all the farm buildings at Kilpunt have been converted into houses.

View of Kilpunt, from the south

From Kilpunt I went on to Broxburn, then Livingston. In the afternoon, on route back to Edinburgh, I got off the bus in Kirknewton, where the Walker family also farmed, to have a look at the old graveyard there. I didn’t really expect to find any Walker gravestone inscriptions there, but thought I’d have a good look anyway! So I looked, but didn’t find anything of family interest there!

With the centenary, tomorrow, of his death in a flying accident during WW1, I want to post something about this Great-Uncle, James Hope WALKER.

James Hope WALKER was born on 3rd July 1896, at Kilpunt, Kirkliston, West Lothian, the second child (first son) of Thomas George WALKER, and Helen Black WALKER (nee CADZOW). His middle-name, “Hope”, is almost certainly a nod to the family’s landlord at Kilpunt; Lord HOPE, the Earl of Hopetoun.

James Hope WALKER joined the 14th London Regiment (the London Scottish) as a Private (Pte.). Regimental.No.4335. The photos of him wearing a kilt (below) appear to be his London Scottish regimental uniform. His medal card shows that he first entered the “Theatre of War”, in France on 4th July 1915.

COPYList 2. Litchfield (T.F.3)War Office, London, S.W.24th May 1916.Sir,I am directed to inform you that 4335. Pte. J.H.Walker. of the unit under your Command, has been selected to undergo a course of instruction in an Officer Cadet Unit, with a view to his subsequent appointment to a commission in the Territorial Force. I am therefore to request that you will order him to report himself to the Commandant No 8 Officers Cadet Battn, Whittington Barracks, Litchfield. on the 29th May 1916 not later than 4 p.m.. He should be provided with a railway warrant for the journey, and should be in possession of a complete kit. xxxxxxxxxxxxIt must be distinctly understood that in the event of his failure to pass the required tests on the termination of the course or it in any other respect he is found to be unsuitable for appoint--ment to a commission, he will be returned to your unit for duty in the ranks, or otherwise disposed of as directed by the Army Council.An acknowledgment of the receipt of this letter is not required, but if for any reason the candidate is unable to join, a telegram should be sent to the War Office as early as practicable, Followed by a letter stating the circumstances.I am, Sir, Your obedient Servant,(Sgd) W.D. Bird.Director of Staff Duties.The Officer Commandingxx 14th (Res) Bn.London Regt.(London Scottish)Mortlake.

On (or about) the 25th September 1916, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps. The London Gazette records this in a list published on 20th October 1916 (his name is about a third of the way down on the right-hand side).

One photo among WALKER family papers labels James Hope WALKER, standing on an airfield alongside 3 other (unidentified) servicemen.

“The court is of opinion that accident was caused by loss of flying speed owing to the fact that the pilot had switched off in order to effect a slower landing. The throttle being open seems to indicate that the pilot attempted to make use of his engine forgetting he had previously switched off.”

A group of photos among family papers, show an airfield; presumably RAF Rendcomb. Three images show Bristol F.2a fighter biplanes lined up; among them are numbers A3314 and A3329. Another 3 photos show servicemen standing around a crashed plane. This is presumably the crash which killed James Hope WALKER on 16th March 1917. But the images don’t show the plane’s number, so I can’t say for sure!

Bristol F.2a fighter biplanes at Rendcomb airfield

Bristol F.2a fighter biplanes at Rendcomb airfield, A3314

Bristol F.2a fighter biplanes at Rendcomb airfield, A3329

Crashed Bristol F.2a fighter biplane

Crashed Bristol F.2a fighter biplane

Crashed Bristol F.2a fighter biplane

The following two cards were presumably sent to the WALKER family by the officers of the RFC at Rendcombe following his death.

James Hope WALKER is recorded on several monuments. These include the Hatfield War Memorial. Among family papers are two cards inviting his parents to the dedication of the Hatfield War Memorial on Sunday 12th June (1921) (see below). He is also recorded on a memorial at St Albans School, where he was a pupil (see the Great War Forum for details).

Invitation to the dedication of Hatfield War Memorial, on Sunday 12th June (1921)

Reverse of invite card

His gravestone, in St Luke’s Churchyard, Hatfield, also mentions one of his sisters, Beatrice Margaret. The FindAGrave website accurately connects this grave to a 1911 census record, and to the gravestones of other WALKER family members, buried at All Saints, Radwell, where there is also an inscription to him, on the back of his parents gravestone (see; BillionGraves.com).

The portrait (below) of James Hope WALKER appears to have been painted after his death. It is signed ‘E. L. HAWES, 1919′, and “EVA L. HAWES, 24 WINDSOR RD, CHURCH END FINCHLEY” is written on the back. I have no other information about the artist. The portrait is in an envelope, addressed in pencil to James’ mother, “Mrs Walker, Radwell Bury, Baldock, Herts” (an address which his parents moved to in about 1935).

A couple of weeks ago I began to have a fresh look for what I could find out about my JOHNSTON ancestors, from Bathgate in West Lothian, in the WALKER branch of my family tree. Now I want to write up about the new things I’ve found.

In “Part 1”, I’ve posted a transcription of an amazing newspaper article, from the “Falkirk Herald”, on Saturday, 15th August 1925; page 11 – which I found a few days ago, via the British Newspaper Archive. The article is full of biographical information about two of my direct ancestors; Thomas JOHNSTON (my 4x Gt-Grandfather), and his father-in-law, Patrick MAIR (my 5x Gt-Grandfather).

“Part 2” is my chance to say what set me off on this, and what I’ve found; to make some more comments about the newspaper article in “Part 1”, and mention some other things that I’ve found.

I begin in September 2016, when I was contacted through AFamilyHistoryBlog by “Nevada Bob” who had been photographing gravestones in Bathgate, for the website FindAGrave.com. Bob asked me if a particular grave was of interest to me in my family history research. That grave wasn’t! But Bob suggested that I keep an eye on the Find A Grave website for anything of interest, as he added more of his photos.

A couple of weeks ago I had another look on the Find A Grave website and saw a photo and transcription, which Bob had added, that very clearly is of interest to me – see HERE. So I got back in touch with Bob, via e-mail, about it. This is the gravestone of John JOHNSTON, his wife – Margaret YOUNG, and 3 of their children. There was some brief (and understandable) confusion, with Bob mistaking a photo that I’ve posted of Margaret JOHNSTON, to be of her mother – Margaret YOUNG, who is named on the tombstone. But that was soon clarified.

Due to this, I was spurred into doing some fresh internet searches looking for anything new that I could find about the Johnston family. I started looking for gravestone records, comparing 2 websites; Find A Grave.com, and BillionGraves.com(which I’ve been using recently, and rather like). The two sites were quite similar, and I found nothing particularly new on either one. You might find that a grave is on one website, but not on another, or has been transcribed slightly differently, or that one site has a better photo than another! So its worth using the different sites.

When searching for the JOHNSTONs had yielded very little new information, I looked back further, and began searching for John JOHNSTON’s maternal Grandfather “Patrick MAIR”, who was a printer and publisher in Falkirk, and his brother “Thomas MAIR”, a “merchant”/banker in Bathgate. I knew almost nothing about them beyond what little is on the old “Genealogical chart of the JOHNSTON family”, which I’ve previously posted about.

I soon found two particular sources of information on-line, that gave me lots of new details about Patrick MAIR and his descendants. One is the Falkirk Community Trust, which operates the Falkirk Archives. They hold a collection of legal papers about Patrick, and Thomas MAIR, and some of Patrick’s descendants – mainly the RANKINEs, through one of Patrick’s daughters; Isabel(la). The Falkirk Archives’ description of the “Mair and Rankine family papers” says quite a lot about Patrick MAIR and his family, and the archives’ “finding aid (no.33)” (PDF file) also give a brief description of each document that the archive holds about the family. Both of these pieces are interesting to read through.

The second source was some old newspaper articles from the “Falkirk Herald”, available through the British Newspaper Archive. The Falkirk Herald was the first newspaper to be owned by the Johnston Press; the printing business established by Patrick MAIR and Thomas JOHNSTON, and continued by some of Thomas’ descendants. I have found articles of interest, about Patrick MAIR, and Thomas JOHNSTON, printed on 3 different occasions in the Falkirk Herald.

The earliest article is a relatively short biography of Patrick MAIR, printed on Wednesday 7th April 1909. I’m interested that this seems to be very close to the time when the “Genealogical chart of the JOHNSTON family”, that I have, was produced. Might this chart, or the chart’s author – Alexander Cuthbert, have informed the article? (No author is credited with the newspaper article!). Although one big discrepancy is that where the chart says that Patrick died in “1796”, the newspaper article states that he “retired from business in 1797”, and died “on 20th February, 1805”. I think that the newspaper article has more authority on this!

This 1909 article says that “the works which came from the press of Patrick Mair were very numerous, and it is hoped that at some future time a list of these will be obtained for publication.” The next article that I’ve found lists some of these works. But I have not yet found any indication of a comprehensive list having been produced. Perhaps it’s never been done! But if anyone knows otherwise, I would be interested to hear. If so please leave a comment below, or use the Contact Page to get in touch.

The second occasion where I’ve found an article is in an issue of the Falkirk Herald, marking the newspaper’s “eightieth anniversary”, on Saturday, 15th August 1925. It is the text of this article that I have posted in “Part 1”. It contains all the details from the 1909 article and more. This article then goes on to tell of Thomas JOHNSTON’s succession to Patrick’s printing and publishing business, and beyond, to tell of two of Thomas’ sons.

The third occasion, marking the Falkirk Herald’s “ninetieth anniversary”, on Saturday, 10th August 1935, appears to be an almost exact repeat of the “eightieth anniversary” article.

Being a “Real Christian” myself (to use the end of the title from the 1783 publication – the 1st known work from Patrick’s Falkirk Press), I was intrigued to discover in these articles the list of clearly “Christian” titles that Patrick published. I would like to find out more about some of these publications. It appears that there is quite a strong spiritual heritage, seeing just how many of Patrick’s descendants went into church ministry! I count 3 great-grandchildren – 2 named in the article, and 1 on my JOHNSTON Genealogical Chart. But Patrick’s son-in-law, Thomas JOHNSTON appears to have gone off-track – joining the non-Christian, Masonic Lodge! There are many sites which explain why, from a “Real Christian” perspective, Christianity and Freemasonry are incompatible; here are a couple of examples; www.EMFJ.org & www.Ephesians5-11.org. Also a Wikipedia article about the positions taken towards Freemasonry by various church denominations (and cults).

I would be very interested to find out more about Thomas JOHNSTON’s “progenitors”; the DAVIE family. Is there a real connection to the Covenanter, James DAVIE? I suspect the problem in proving it may be a lack of Covenanter records (equivalent to the English non-conformists)! I know from the Genealogical Chart that Thomas JOHNSTON’s paternal grandmother was a Marion DAVIE. I have no dates for Marion, except for the birth of her children between 1723 and 1728. From that we could infer that Marion was born around 1700. James DAVIE was killed in 1673, which suggests to me that perhaps he was the same generation as Marion’s grandparents! If you know anything more about this DAVIE family, please leave a comment below, or use the Contact Page to get in touch.

I’ve mentioned lots of generations of my family above, and I realise that it could be confusing! So I’ll finish with a couple of overlapping genealogy lists, which cover all those mentioned. Those mentioned above are in Bold text below. The number “0x” is the number of Great-grandparents back in my tree; so “3x” is my 3 times Great-grandparent(s). Or you can look at my WALKER tree page.

A couple of weeks ago I began to have a fresh look for what I could find out about my JOHNSTON ancestors, from Bathgate in West Lothian, in the WALKER branch of my family tree. Now I want to write up about the new things I’ve found.

I will write more about my recent research into Patrick MAIR and Thomas JOHNSTON in “Part 2”. But in this post (Part 1), due to its length, I just want to focus on this amazing newspaper article, from the “Falkirk Herald”, from Saturday, 15th August 1925; page 11 – which I found a few days ago, via the British Newspaper Archive. The article is full of biographical information about these direct ancestors of mine from my WALKER family branch. Before I found this article, I knew some very limited pieces, but very few of the details that this article contains.

Being mindful of copyright issues, I’m not posting the full British Newspaper Archive’s image of the newspaper article (you’ll need to visit their website for that!). I am posting my own transcription of the text from that image, word for word (including the original typos!). All I’ve changed is to brake the text up into more paragraphs, highlight some of the publication titles mentioned, in bold, and put the lists of titles into bullet-point lists – all in the hope of making it easier to read. I have also added hyperlinks to additional information about some of the names, places, & terms mentioned, and I have made some notes/comments of my own at the end, about various names, places, terms, etc, with hyperlinks to further information.

Just a note of caution; this newspaper article is a “secondary source” of information. I would very much like to hunt out and check “primary sources” (like parish records) to verify many of the details given in this article.

AN OLD PRINTING BUSINESS.

ITS FORMER PROPRIETORS.

The printing business, of which the publishers of the “Falkirk Herald”* are the proprietors, and of the founder of which they may claim to be the lineal descendants, has a history extending over a period of no less than one hundred and fifty-eight years. Its founder was Patrick Mair, who belonged to a West Lothian family. Mr Mair’s forbears were among the smaller lairds of that county, and for generations they had farmed their own patrimonial lands of Pottishaw, in the southern district of the shire. To that property Mr Mair himself eventually succeeded. Afterwards the lands passed into the possession of the Johnston family, and some years ago were sold to Messrs William Baird & Co., Ltd., coalmasters.

The son of Patrick Mair and Margaret Telfure* his wife, the future printer of Falkirk was born in Ridge of Blairmucks, in the parish of Shotts, and baptised in Whitburn Kirk on 13th March 1738. In 1743, on the birth of his brother, Thomas Mair, the family were resident in Bathgate. In passing, we may note that Thomas Mair of Pottishaw, who was a well-known Bathgate merchant for many years, and who died in 1808, was one of the original partners of the old Falkirk Banking Company from its foundation in 1787 to 1802, and conducted business for the bank in Bathgate. He was also one of the originators of the ill-fated Union Bank of Falkirk, founded in 1803, but which had to close its doors in 1816. Patrick Mair’s parents then being settled in Bathgate, it may be surmised that after a few years’ schooling he was apprenticed to the printing trade. Married on August 11th, 1763, to Jean Aitken, of Falkirk parish, in the following year he had set up a printing press of his own in “the second close above Bell’s Wynd,” Glasgow, a volume, entitled “Sermons by the late Mr Thomas Boston” being then issued from his press. Mr Mair’s name is not found on the toll of “Burgesses and Guild Brothers of the City of Glasgow.” But these rolls, it has been authoritatively stated, are notoriously defective, and it may be deemed a certainty that Mr Mair had the necessary permission to begin business in the city, although that fact is not recorded. His stay in Glasgow, however, was not a lengthy one. He was there in the opening month of 1765, but from an advertisement inserted in the “Edinburgh Evening Courant”* for Monday, 6th April, 1767, regarding an edition of Matthew Henry’s Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, subscribers for the work were asked to send their names to — among others — “Mr Patrick Mair, Book- seller, Falkirk.”

Works from Falkirk Press.

It seems reasonable to suppose that on settling in Falkirk, Patrick Mair brought his printing press with him, and although no work printed by him seems known to bear date earlier than 1783, it is quite likely he may have issued other works before that time. The title of this 1783 volume runs thus:—

“The History of the Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, By Question and Answer. Giving (I) An Account of the remarkable Events and Transactions of the Antedeluvian and Patriarchal Ages before and after the Flood; As also, several very curious Critical Remarks and Practical Observations upon the Lives of the Patriarchs. (II) A minute Description of the Jews, from the Calling of Abraham to their settlement in the Promised Land; with suitable remarks upon the Messages of the Prophets sent to that People. (III) And lastly, The History of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and his Apostles, from the Birth of John the Baptist, to the Conclusion of the Canon of Scripture, For the benefit of every Real Christian. By Mr Christopher Love, a Martyr, late Minister of the Gospel in London. (John v. 39 quoted). Falkirk: Printed and Sold by Patrick Mair, Also Sold by James Buchanan, Bookseller, 1783.”

Large numbers of works, great and small, were issued from his industrious press, and some of these books of which he was printer and publisher are now much valued by collectors on account of their scarcity. In the production of religious literature, especially that of the early Scottish seceders and the English Puritan divines, he attained a certain reputation and eminence of his own.

To name every work that came from Patrick Mair’s press, even if we had their titles, would occupy considerable space. The following are a few of the works he issued, in addition to the one just named:—

“The Old Man’s Most Serious Advice to his Young Friend and other Pamphlets, by a Lover of Truth” (1783);

“Human Nature in its Four-fold Estate; A New Edition, Carefully Revised and earnestly Recommended To the Perusal of every Christian Family. By the Reverend Mr Michael Boston. Minister of the Gospel in Falkirk, and Author’s Grandson.” 1784. (The Rev. Michael Boston was the first minister of Falkirk Relief, now the West U.F. Church*. He was inducted to his charge in November, 1770, and died while in office on 5th February, 1785);

“The Sermons and other Practical Works of the late Rev. and Learned Ralph Erskine, A.M.,” 10 vols, (1796);

“Poetical Works of Ralph Erskine,” 712 pages (1797).

The Complete Letter-Writer.

We should not omit to mention one more interesting book which came from Mr Mair’s venerable press. It is “The Complete Letter-Writer, containing Familiar Letters on the most Common Occasions of Life; also a Variety of Elegant Letters for the Direction and Embellishment of Style, on Business, Duty, Amusement, Love, Courtship, Marriage, Friendship, and Other Subjects; to which is prefaced A Plain and Compendious Grammar of the English Language, with Directions for Writing Letters, and the proper Forms of Message Cards, and a copious English Spelling Dictionary.” This was issued in 1792: the typography is remarkably clear; and the contents of the work, or rather conglomeration of works, are full of quaintness, and redolent of the old school of life and manners.

In the year 1797 Patrick Mair retired from the business, and died at Falkirk, February 20th, 1805, when just about to complete his 67th year. Mrs Mair survived until 1819, when she passed away at the venerable age of 93. Of the members of their family, Margaret married Mr Thomas Johnston, to whom we shall refer more fully presently, and Isabella married Mr John Rankine, bookseller, Falkirk. A daughter of this latter union, Jessie Rankine, married the Rev. Alexander Cuming Rutherford, of Falkirk. Of their family, great-grandchildren of Patrick Mair, and natives of Falkirk, James, born 1840, became celebrated as a mental specialist, and for many years was head of the Crichton Royal Institution*, Dumfries. He died in 1910. John Rutherford, born in 1842, entered the ministry of the U.P. Church, and was ordained pastor of St Nicholas Church, Aberdeen, 11th November, 1868. In 1882 he sought and obtained admission to the Church of Scotland, and for a number of years was minister of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. He died at Harrogate, 22nd January, 1922. Alexander Cuming Rutherford, born 5th November, 1844, was a chartered accountant in Glasgow, and for some years Provost of Kirkintilloch. His death took place in 1909. The present minister of Dunkeld Cathedral, the Rev. Thomas Rankine Rutherford, M.A., is also a great-grandson of Patrick Mair.

“Killing Time” Recalled.

Mr Mair was succeeded in the printing business by his son-in-law, Mr Thomas Johnston. The latter was also of Linlithgowshire stock, his people having for generations farmed lands at Ballencrief, near Bathgate, where he was born on 22nd July, 1755. In that district, during the “killing time,”* when so much Scottish blood was shed by the persecuting myrmidons of the unworthy King Charles II, there was strong popular sympathy with the covenanters. One at least of Thomas Johnston’s progenitors suffered death for the cause of Presbytery. This was James Davie*, an ancestor through the maternal line, who was slain, while attending a conventicle at Blackdub, in 1673, by a party of dragoons under an officer named Heron. Davie was buried in the secluded old churchyard of Bathgate, where there is a stone to his memory.

There are pretty good grounds for believing that Thomas Johnston was not bred to the printing of bookselling trade, but first followed another calling, ultimately assisting Patrick Mair in business, and finally succeeding to it as we have stated, in1797. That, at least, is the earliest date known, when any of the numerous books which bear his name was printed. He had evidently been settled in Falkirk by 1785, as on the 5th December of that year he was united in marriage to one of Patrick Mair’s daughters, Margaret. If, as we may assume, he assisted his father-in-law during the years 1785 to 1797, he must have been thoroughly equipped to carry on the business when it was transferred to him.

During a long series of years Mr Thomas Johnston carried on printing and publishing in Falkirk, issuing editions of many important books, a few of which are:—

“Parable of the Ten Virgins,” opened and applied, by Thomas Shepherd. 2 vols., 500 pages each (1797):

Memories of the Life of the Rev. Geo. Whitefield, M.A., with portrait. 300 pages (1798):

“The Death of Death in the Death of Christ,” by John Owen, D.D. (1799).

Quaint Chap-Books.

Like his father-in-law and predecessor, Mr Thomas Johnston was strong in the works of famous divines, for which there was in the Scotland of that period a remarkable demand; but he also did a good deal in the reproduction of lighter literature. Chap-books* were then greatly in vogue, and of these he printed large quantities. They were cheaply got up affairs and were vastly popular with the masses. Through the agency of these packmen or pedlars who, before the epoch of railroads, were about the only traders to supply the wants of remote localities, they found their way to every rural district, where they were eagerly purchased by the peasantry. The chap-books were almost infinite in their variety, among them being sermons, stories, ballards, lives of heroes, historical abridgments, travels, etc.

It is worthy of mention that one of the chap-books entitled “The Life and Exploits of Rob Roy Macgregor.” issued by Thomas Johnston in 1814, must, according to Mr Clement K. Shorter, the well-known literary critic, have been seen by Sir Walter Scott, whose romance of “Rob Roy” “is made,” he says, “to run on parallel lines.” A reprint of this chap-book was given in the columns of the “Falkirk Herald” beginning 3rd August, 1910, and was taken from a copy of the book in the British Museum*. The titles of a few of those issued from this office may be given as curiosities —

“The Mournful Tragedy of the Valiant Knight, Sir William Wallace, Governor of Scotland, to which is prefixed a Brief Historical Account of his most surprising exploits for the Delivery of Scotland, and the way in which he was betrayed into the hands of the English”;

“The Surprising Life and Sufferings of Peter Williamson, who was carried off from Aberdeen in his infancy and sold as a slave in North America”;

“History of the King and the Cobbler”;

“The History and Adventures of that famous Negro robber, Three-fingered Jack, the Terror of Jamaica”;

“The Surprising Adventures of Frederick, Baron Trenck, giving an account of how he was confined in a dungeon with chains of 68 pounds weight, and was afterwards guillotined in France, in the time of the Revolution”;

“The Advantages and Disadvantages of Married State by Philanthropist”.

The British Museum Library* contains a considerable number of others, not mentioned in the above list, many of them with quaint titles.

At the Burns Exhibition* held at Glasgow in 1896, the following works from Thomas Johnston’s press were shown, and are now rarely to be met with:—

“The Beauties of Burns” (12mo). 1809;

“Beauties of Burns’ Poems” (12mo). 1819;

“The most admired Poems of the celebrated Scots Poet, Robert Burns” (12mo). 1826.

The first-named was lent by the late Mr George Gray, whose collection of rare Scottish books and chap-books was unique, and the last-named, by the late Mr W. Craibe Angus, Glasgow, renowned as an art critic and authority on everything pertaining to the works of the National Bard.

Stintmaster and “Chief Magistrate.”

In the affairs of his adopted town, Mr Thomas Johnston took a lively and public-spirited interest. On 10th October, 1809, he was elected a Stintmaster*, being one of four who represented the merchants, and three days later he was elected Preses* of that body. On the 13th May, 1811, he was re-elected. Further confidence was shown in him by the Feuars* of Falkirk, who elected him Preses of a committee composed of several of their number and of the inhabitants. The subject that agitated the community at the time was the construction of the present handsome town’s steeple* — our most conspicuous landmark. As “Chief Magistrate,” he presided at the laying of the foundation stone of the structure on 24th March, 1813, and it was principally owing to his unremitting assiduity and public spirit that the undertaking was brought to a successful conclusion. The handsome town clock, which keeps the “Bairns” “up to time,” was contracted for during Mr Thomas Johnston’s term of office, as a brass tablet in the Steeple indicates, and also the magnificent toned bell, cast by Mears, of London. On the completion of these undertakings, Mr Johnston retired from taking an active share in Stintmasters’ and Feuars’ affairs. He was, it may further be mentioned, one of the originators of the Falkirk Curling Club, founded in 1816, which is still going strong “when stern winter rules,” and in 1811 he joined the old Masonic Lodge of Falkirk, now known as Lodge 16. He died on 18th May, 1831, much and justly esteemed and respected by the community. Mrs Johnston died 25th October, 1838.

The newspaper article continues, with pieces about of two of Thomas JOHNSTON’s sons; the “third son”, James, (or the 4th son according to the Genealogical Chart!) who was an Engineer to the Russian Czar (Nicholas I) in St. Petersburg, and the “youngest son”, Archibald who succeeded Thomas in the printing business.

*Notes;

Falkirk Herald; See – Wikipedia for a bit about the newspaper’s history, or the Newspaper’s own website HERE. For some history of the Johnston Press, see their website, or Wikipedia.

Margaret Telfure; At first site of this, I wondered if the newspaper (or their source) had mis-transcribed the “F” in Telfure from an old-fashioned long-S, making it “Telsure”! (I have since been assured that this is not the case). By searching the IGI, I have also found records of a couple in the same parish, at the same time period, transcribed as “Peter MAIR” and “Margaret TELFER”, including the christening of a son; Thomas, in April 1743. So is this the same couple? It needs a careful look at the parish registers to try and work out!

James Davie, Covenanter; See CANMORE Record of James Davie’s tomb at Bathgate, and Dr Mark Jardine’s blog about the Covenanters for more details about James Davie’s life and death. Thomas JOHNSTON’s paternal grandmother was a “Marion DAVIE, from Blackdub, or Tannock, near Cumbernault” (according to the JOHNSTON family tree that I have). I have no other details for Marion DAVIE. If they are related, then James might belong to the generation of Marion’s Grandparents.

This is one in a series of blog posts about some old papers of the WALKER family, from Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland. You can see a list of these papers HERE.

Photo of John Johnston WALKER, taken (I think) shortly before he left for New Zealand in 1869.

Having mentioned him, and included his photo, in a previous piece, I want to post a bit more about this 2x Gt-Uncle, John Johnston WALKER. To my present knowledge, at least on the WALKER side of my family, John is the closest relative to my direct ancestry (i.e. a son/daughter, brother/sister, uncle/aunt) to have emigrated from the British Isles.

What little I know about him is mostly contained in the WALKER family history, first written by my Granddad (John’s nephew) in the 1950’s. I copy the little section written about John, here;

John Johnston Walker was born 21st January 1848. He went to New Zealand in 1869 [aged 21] and was manager of a large Sheep Station at Edendale until 1877, when he decided to start on his own, and took up a virgin block of land on the Otamakapua Block. In 1891 he went to Feilding to have treatment for a severe attack of fever and was treated by a Doctor Charlton without success, and died on 19th November 1891. On his retirement from the sheep station, where he was most popular, he was presented with a very handsome gold watch and chain.

I’m not 100% sure about the locations mentioned, particularly “Edendale”, of which I can find 3 identified places with that name, around New Zealand! (Search for “Edendale”, HERE)

On a trip to New Zealand in 2013, my uncle, David, visited Feilding and took the following photos (note; these are scans of the prints I have from him);

John’s death is also recorded on a gravestone in Kirkliston churchyard, West Lothian, Scotland, along with his parents, infant brother, and 3 of his sisters.

I have found just one document about John Johnston WALKER among the WALKER family papers; a letter home from him, responding to news of his father’s death in 1881. (See below for transcription and notes).

Page 1; Transcription of Page 1 (right side);

Lyndhurst*July 15th 1881My Dear Mother,I am in receipt of ~ Tom’s letter conveying the ~ sad news of my Father’s death. ~ It is certainly a very solemn ~ [invitation] we have received ~ from Him with whom we ~ have to do. I feel the loss ~ very much for your sake ~ & for mine but we must ~ bow ourselves submissively ~ before Almighty God and ~ say ‘Thy will be done’.

Regarding the estate of ~ my late Father, I do not ^[think] it ~ would be prudent to advise ~ you, as I lack a knowledge ~ of circumstances. One thing ~

Page 1 (left side);

and that is ? would Kilpunt ~ be worth keeping seeing so ~ much money has been lost ~ by farming it of late years. ~ So far as I am concerned ~[treat] me as if I was not, at ~ the same time if I can help ~ you in any way depend upon ~ me. I too have lost [heavily] ~ at farming. two years ago – ~ £800 went. but what of ~ that.

If Tom is inclined to farm the ~old place so as to keep the ~ family together let him do ~ so. But before [signing] any ~ lease, don’t forget to be pre~pared against foreign com~petition.

Now Tom*, I as your elder ~ brother would kindly advise

Page 2; Transcription of Page 2 (left side);

to look well to our Mother’s ~ ## comfort & happiness & ~ also to that of our sisters. ~ Don’t go hunting, or pleasure ~ seeking, but seldom: remem~ber we must try to discharge ~ our late Father’s debts, for ~ I think it is a duty of ours ~ if we com by [God’s] help ~ perform.

Some one here sent word ~ I was ill. He was mistaken ~ I kindly bid you ad[..] ~ [m…le_] Am writing in ~ haste to post for mail_

Yours Aff-ly J. Walker P.S. Will write next mail for sure___ put in [p…ite] for me

Page 2 (right side);

address as formerly-

*Notes; I’m not sure of the location given at the top of the letter! There is a “Lyndhurst” west of Christchurch, on the east side of South Island. (See NZ Topo Map ).

This morning there died at Buckingham Palace, (Mr Worsfold’s boardinghouse). a settler named John Johnston Walker, who was one of the first selectors on the Otamakapua Block. Some months ago he came to Feilding for medical treatment as he was suffering from fever. Dr Charlton was unremitting in his attention and managed to cure his patient so far, but Mr Walker suffered a relapse, and lung disease rapidly developed. From the beginning Dr Charlton held ont no hopes of recovery, and the deceased was quite prepared for the fatal termination of his complaint. Mr and Mrs Worsfold showed every possible kindness and provided all that was necessary to insure the most perfect comfort of the invalid. The funeral will take place tomorrow at 10:30 am.

Second; in just the last few days (Dec. 2016) I’ve found details of John Johnston WALKER’s Will in New Zealand’s Probate records, available through FamilySearch.org. (I am unsure of FamilySearch’s copyright policy, so I won’t copy the images here! But I will add links to the page images – please click on the numbers – and I type up my own transcription of the text);

AThis is the last Will and Testament of me ~ John Johnston Walker of Otamakapua in the ~ Provincial District of Wellington and Colony of ~ New Zealand. Farmer. I appoint Ernest Albert ~ Barton of Feilding in the Provincial District of ~ Wellington, Bank Agent (hereafter called “my ~ Trustee”) to be the Executer and Trustee of this ~ my will. I give devise and bequeath the ~ whole of my Real and personal property of ~ whatsoever nature or kind and wheresoever ~ situate including amongst other things my ~ interest in a perpetual Lease, moneys at the ~ Bank on deposit and open account into my ~ Trustee Upon trust that my Trustee shall sell ~ call in and convert into money the same or such ~ part thereof as shall not consist of money and ~ shall with and out of the monies produced by ~ such sale calling in and conversion and with ~ and out of such part of my personal Estate as ~ shall consist of money pay my funeral and ~ testamentary expenses and debts and shall stand ~ possessed of the residue of the said monies in ~ [burial] for my Uncle Thomas Johnston* of No.25 ~ Athol Gardens*, Glasgow, Scotland absolutely.

In Witness whereof I have to this my last Will ~ and Testament – set my hand this twenty fourth ~ day of September one Thousand Eight hundred ~ and ninety one.

Signed by the above named John ~ Johnston Walker as his last Will ~ and Testimony in the presence of ~ us both being present at the ~ same time who at his request ~ in his presence and in the ~ presence of Each other have ~ here[unto] subscribed our names ~ as witnesses.

John. J. Walker (signature)

[Clifton] [Chaelton] MB. [Clu.] […] ~ Feilding(signature)

John Prior ~ Solicitor, Feilding. (signature)

Note on Left side of the page (img.155), at 90°.;

This is the paper [w…] marked “a” referred [to] in the ~ Affidavit of Ernest Albert Barton […] this 29th day of ~ December 1891 Before me ~ […(signature)…] ~ A Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.

In addition to the Will, there are 7 further images of related Supreme Court documents, which are worth a look at, but which I won’t transcribe here because they seem to yield few additional details of note!

I would be interested to find more details about John Johnston WALKER; like where he lived/travelled in New Zealand, and the passenger records for when he moved out there in 1869 (which I’ve started having a little look for, but not yet found anything!).

If you know of anything more about John Johnston WALKER, that you could direct me towards, then please leave a comment below, or use the Contact Page to get in touch. Thanks.

This is one in a series of blog posts about some old papers of the WALKER family, from Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland. See a list of these papers HERE.

Here are a few photos that I have, of members of my WALKER family. These are currently the oldest photos that I know about, of members of this branch of my family. I found this group of photos together inside a plain blue envelope, aprox- A6 sized. The images are all about 2⅛ x 3¾” (54 x 95mm).

James WALKER (standing)

Margaret JOHNSTON (m. WALKER), standing

Margaret JOHNSTON (m. WALKER), sitting.

John Johnston WALKER (son)

Although the photos of James WALKER and Margaret JOHNSTON are not dated, the details on the back, naming the studio where they were taken, can give us some indication of a date range. It seems clear that these 3 photos were all taken at the same time, during the same studio sitting.

The backs of these 3 Photos are all labled “ROSS & THOMSON, PHOTOGRAPHERS, 90 Princes Street, Edniburgh”. Websites with information about early photographers (for example HERE) indicate that this studio opperated at this address between 1848 and 1864, which suggests that the photos must be from this date range. I suspect that they date from fairly soon after James and Margaret’s marriage, at Bathgate in February 1847 (so earlier rather than later in the possible date-range).

James WALKER (standing)

Back of Photo of James WALKER, noting his date of death; May 6th 1881.

Margaret JOHNSTON (m. WALKER), standing

Back of Photo of Margaret JOHNSTON, noting her marriage at Bathgate in 1847.

Margaret JOHNSTON (m. WALKER), sitting.

Back of Photo of Margaret JOHNSTON, noting her date of death on 15th Sept. 1890.

The 4th photo in this group is of James and Margaret’s oldest son; John Johnston WALKER. John was born in January 1848, and went to New Zealand in 1869 where he was manager of a large Sheep Station at Edendale until 1877, when he decided to start on his own, and took up a virgin block of land on the Otamakapua Block, North Island. He died at Feilding, Manawatu District, NZ, in November 1891.

The back of this photo is labled; “J Horsburgh, PHOTOGRAPHER, 131 Princes Street, Edinburgh”. This photograhper’s name, at this address, appears to suggest a date between 1868 and 1898 (not earlier than 1868) (see HERE). So the year written on the reverse, “1869”, is probably accurate, suggesting that the photo was taken shortly before John left Scotland, for New Zealand.

John Johnston WALKER (son)

Back of Photo of John Johnston WALKER, noting that he left Scotland and went to New Zealand in 1869

In the envelope, along with these photos, there is a hand-written list of all the members of this generation of the Walker family (including the children’s birth dates). (I have shared this note previously). This is on the back of an old envelope addressed to James and Margaret’s youngest son (and my Gt-Grandfather), Thomas George WALKER, in 1891. I believe this list to have been written down by Thomas George Walker.

Front of an envelope, addressed to Thomas George Walker, at Kilpunt. Postmarked 31st December 1891.

Back of the envelope, noting the date of James Walker & Margaret Johnston’s wedding, and DoB of their children, written (I believe) by their son – Thomas George Walker.

Note that several of these children have middle names which are the surnames of their Mother, Grandmothers, and Gt-Gt-Grandmother. This was common with many of the earliest recorded middle names, which can sometimes cause confusion knowing just who is being referred to. It is to avoid such confusion that on this site I tend to write SURNAMEs in CAPITALS, to distinguish actual Surnames from this kind of middle name.

Of these 8 children, only 2 have any descendants; Mary WALKER married John BRASH, and had 1 daughter. Thomas George WALKER married Helen Black CADZOW, and had 7 children.

This is one in a series of blog post about some old papers of the WALKER family, from Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland. See a list of these papers HERE.

I was recently contacted through my blog by a descendant of the KEIR family who lived at Kilpunt farm in the 1840’s, prior to the WALKERs moving there. I had mentioned in a post HERE, that Post Office Directories record a “Mrs KEIR” living at Kilpunt in 1842, when the WALKERs still lived at the neighbouring farm of Hiddlefaulds. But by the 1851 census, the WALKERs were living at Kilpunt (where they remained until 1898).

Following that contact, my site appears to have been some inspiration for this KEIR descendant and some of his relatives to create their own Family History Blog about their KEIR ancestry, which is here; https://keirfamilygenealogy.wordpress.com/

Due to this contact, I looked out a document from the chest of WALKER family papers that tells a bit of the history of Kilpunt, which I have now transcribed (below).

This letter is signed by “R.Barclay-Allardice.“, who I believe to be a “Robert Barclay-Allardice” (b.1841, d.1913); the grandson of “Captain” Robert Barclay Allardice (for more details of this family, please see HERE).

I want to note that, from old maps, I believe the original house of the Barony of Kilpunt lay West-North-West of the existing (ex-farm)house at Kilpunt, towards Broxburn, beside the burn (see the NLS map, above). Little, if any, trace of that house remains!

Please click on the images below to see the scanned pages at full resolution. Transcribed text appears in a Maroon colour below each scanned image. At the bottom I’ve made some further notes about the document.

I have also included links to further information, within the transcribed text. Much of what R.Barclay-Allardice wrote in this letter, dated February 1880, appears to be copied from (or repeated in) many other sources from the same period or earlier, many of which are now available on the internet.

Page 1;

Transcription of page 1;

*how far back I do not know.
6th February 1880.
Sir
As they are of interest to you & to […]
Hopetoun, I send you notes of Kilpunt, in
a fuller form than I gave them to
you yesterday.
The lands of Kilpunt and [Elieston] were
originally * in the possession of the family
of Graham of Dundaff, (now Duke of Montrose). In the year 1371, (I think)
a younger son of Graham of Dundaff,
Sir Patrick Graham, – received them as
patrimony – he married Euphemia Stuart,
in her own right Countess of Strathearn.
She was the only child of Prince David, Earl
of Strathearn, one of the sons of King Robert
the Second of Scotland. At Sir Patrick’s
death (who was Jureuxoris Earl of
Strathearn, the lands passed to his
eldest son Malise Earl of Strathearn

Page 2;

Transcription of page 2;

And Menteith – Kilpunt remained
the property of the Earls of Menteith
till the year 1694. When the last Earl
of Menteith and Airth died ^(in that year,) he left
Kilpunt & […] to his nephew & heir
of line, (eldest son of his sister Lady Mary
Graham or Allardice) – Sir George Allar-
-dice of Allardice, Kincardinshire, Knight.
By him Kilpunt was sold, but whether
direct to the Hopetoun family I am
not sure. The eldest sons of the Earls
of Monteith & Airth took the title of
Lord Graham of Kilpont and Kilbryde,**
but were always called Lord Kilpont, so as
to be distinguished from the Montrose
Grahams. John, Lord Kilpont, father
of the last Earl of Menteith & Airth, was killed
at the camp of Collace in Perthshire by
James Stewart of Ardvoirlich, and his murder

Page 3;

Transcription of page 3;

forms the groundwork of Sir Walter Scott’s“Legend of Montrose”, one of his novels.
Notes of Charters of Kilpunt and Elieston
may be found in the Reports of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts
printed by [Government] as Parliamentary
Blue Books – in the 3rd Report which
contains report on the Duke of Montrose’s
Menteith documents – & in the 5th Report
which contains the report on my mother
Mrs Barclay-Allardice’s papers.

I am, faithfully,
R.Barclay-Allardice.

Mr J. Walker
Kilpunt
Broxburn.

** Kilbryde is an estate in Perthshire now belonging
to Sir James Campbell Burt.

Notes;

There is a lot of information on the internet providing more details about the people, places, titles, and events mentioned in this letter (above). Many of these sources make mention of Kilpunt (or “Kilpont”). I’ve included hyperlinks in the transcribed text to some of these references, and make a further list below, of the references I’ve found;

A document titled “10 papers relating to claims to the earldom of Airth” (dated 1839), relating to a claim by R. Barclay-Allardice’s grandfather, “Captain” Robert Barclay-Allardice, to the title of “Earl of Airth”, appears to contain the source for much of the contents of the letter above. So does another report about that claim, dating from the same time; see archive.org.

The National Archives at Kew appear to hold a number of documents about the Barclay-Allardice family and their title claims, HERE.

Some of the place-names in this document have variations of spelling, e.g;

The property, and the title “Baron of Kilpunt”, were owned by the Earls of Hopetoun from a date which I don’t know, and which the above letter doesn’t make clear, until a change in Scottish law in the early 2000’s, which separated the ownership of the land from ownership of the ‘title’. This allowed the Earl, or Marquess of Linlithgow, to sell the title for a reported £50,000, and to separately sell the property to developers. Information on-line (here) indicates that the title “Baroness of Kilpunt” is now held by a member of the Cadzow family, who were cousins of my Walker family, and who farmed at Kilpunt from 1898, when the Walkers moved south to Hertfordshire. But I have yet to check out the details of this!

The Kilpunt farm house was referbished in the 2000’s and sold on, and new houses have been built in its walled garden (to the south). The barns, or “Steadings”, have also been converted into houses, and I believe that developers have outline plans to build housing on the surrounding farmland.

If you have, or know, anything that would shed more light on this history of Kilpunt (either the place and its souroundings, and/or the title and those who have claimed it), I would be interested to know. If so, please leave a comment below, or use the Contact Page to get in touch. Thanks.

This is one in a series of blog post about some old papers of the WALKER family, from Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland. See a list of these papers HERE.

In the Walker family we have these two framed samplers which are full of genealogy information.

One sampler was done by Margaret JOHNSTON (my paternal Gt-Gt-Grandmother, born in 1818), when she was “aged 8” (circa 1826-27). This sampler contains a series of initials on two rows, begining half-way down, which appear to be those of Margaret’s parents and siblings. Each pair of initials is beneath what appears to be a crown;

Here (right) is one of two photos I have of an adult Margaret JOHNSTON (I also have one of her husband, James WALKER, from the same date).

The date of this photo is unknown, but I guess about 1848. The name and address of the photographer, on the reverse, suggests a date between 1848 and 1865.

The second, older sampler appears to be by Mary YOUNG (b, 1777); the older sister of Margaret Johnston’s mother, Margaret YOUNG (b. 1793, Ecclesmachan, W.Lothian). At the bottom of this sampler there is a confusion of names and initials, some of which (it suggests to me) may be later additions to the sampler in an attempt to represent the whole family, including siblings not born when the sampler was origionally made! But at the top – 3rd line down – there is a clear set of initials of family members;

Note; the letter “J” might alternatively be an “I“. I have transcribed it as a “J” because that is what fits with the matching records I’ve found; see below.

Using the initials identified in this sampler (above), I searched the IGI transcriptions of parish registers and was able to find what I believe to be closely matching details for birth/christening dates. Death dates are based on notes I’ve found among family papers about tombstones in Abercorn Churchyard, West Lothian, some of which I’ve been able to confirm through images available at BillionGraves.com as follows;

The bottom third of the sampler begins clearly with the parents’ names; THOMAS YOUNG and MARY SMITH, then the name MARY YOUNG (who’s handywork I believe this sampler is), and a year; 1789, which presumably represents a completion point for this sampler. The very bottom row appears to name the maternal grandparents; ALEXANDER SMITH and MARY FISHER.

If you could shed any more light on these families and their relations, perhaps through other original family documents, please leave a comment below or use the Contact Page to get in touch. Thanks.

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